Sacrifice
by GeminiGemelo
Summary: Vitani talks to Nuka moments before the latter's death, and learns something she should have realized a long time ago... AU. One-shot/drabble.


_**A/N: **_

_Hey there everyone. XD To my loyal readers: Remember me? :p *nudge nudge* Yeah, I haven't updated in forever. I know. But seriously, I've been so busy and unable to concentrate. -.- I wrote this to let you all know that-yes-I still exist, and-no-I haven't abandoned this site or my stories. :p If any of you remember Unexpected, this is the same kind of deal. I was bored and haven't written anything in a while, so I decided to write a short drabble. One hour later, and I had this. XD This one is about Vitani talking to Nuka as he dies._

_So, without further ado, on with the story. Hope you enjoy One-hour One-shot #2- Sacrifice. :p_

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I stand watching, and waiting. And really, that's all I've ever done. Scouting. Spying. Plotting. It's not easy, but it's the only life I've ever known, and probably the only one I ever will. What I'm even fighting for is a long forgotten memory, little more than another dark snippet of the past. All I'm told is that I need to avenge my father, and beyond that… I keep fighting, even though it never did any of us a single lick of good.

Our greatest enemy, Simba, is fighting for his life, desperately attempting to escape by climbing a dam made out of flimsy logs. And then there is Nuka. The zealot. Following him, and climbing branches far too weak for his weight. He's my brother; I have to protect him. Disaster is something I can see coming from a mile away, but really, what can I do about it? And who would listen to me? That is why I don't call out to him; he would either not hear me, or simply ignore my warnings. And our mother, Zira… she doesn't care one way or the other. To her, he's just another soldier she can use to wage our insignificant battles against impossible foes. Sometimes I wonder whether or not he is blissfully ignorant, or simply as hopeless and desperate as I am. The words cross my mind as he nears the summit, about a body length away from Simba, the king of the Pridelands.

Snap.

I hear the snapping of the branch under my brother's foot, but I hardly even register it until I see him tumbling down. All I can think is that, someday, we too will snap, and our little Outlander pride will all come crashing to the ground… It's only a matter of time. I don't know what to do, so I turn and look to our leader. Zira's face has contorted into a horrible look of disgust, and immediately I can tell that she is more concerned about losing Simba than possibly losing her son.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Get up the plateau! We'll cut him off at the edge!"

She barks out orders mercilessly, continuing up an alternate path, and the rest of the pride begrudgingly follows. Except for me. I stand there, motionless, eyes wide as I gaze at her stolidly.

"Vitani! What do you think you're doing?"

My claws unsheathe out of my paws and dig into the hard, patchy ground. I grit my teeth in resolution, narrowing my eyes intensely as I stare at her, and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. Zira was never one to mess with; I knew that. And yet, here I was. Standing up for Nuka when I knew he never could—and never would.

"I'm staying with Nuka," I uttered calmly, half expecting a vicious answer forcing me to tag along. But she only glances at Nuka half-heartedly before fixing her beady red eyes on me. I hear her growl, and she turns away, as if completely unconcerned about either of us.

I watch her climb up the slope, and I growl, swatting the earth in frustration. All she cares about is her own designs. Her own plans. The rest of us are not worth the time or even the attention. She could lead her soldiers off of a cliff to die for her, and she wouldn't even commend their efforts or admit to her mistakes. It makes me sick, but again, what can I do about it? I'm her daughter; I have to fight for her. And I will. Against all odds, I will. But I must never leave a fallen comrade; Nuka, abandoned by everyone he cares about and left to die, seems more important at the present moment.

"Nuka?" I query almost silently, slinking over towards the maze of logs that holds him hostage. "Nuka?" I ask again, removing the tangle of branches covering his tired, termite-infested face.

Immediately I know he's going to die. Several limbs are broken and twisted beyond recognition, and the look on his countenance suggests extreme pain and suffering. From the looks of things, he's already on his way out of the world. And there's nothing I can do about it.

"Vitani," he struggles with the effort of pronouncing my name, those three squeaking syllables barely audible even in the still, arid atmosphere surrounding us.

"Don't… forget… what we fight… for," Nuka attempts to let out a coherent sentence, and I listen closely, immediately pondering his words.

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have went with Mother, but I went to stay with you, bec—"

"Shhhhh," he immediately interrupts me, placing a digit over his lips as a signal for me to stay quiet and listen. I obey—as I realize that he probably doesn't have many sentences left—even though I don't understand him. I expect him to preach something dogmatic about how important this war is, but he only smiles weakly at me, as if finding what he is about to say amusing.

"She's not… your mother," he grins as earnestly as he conceivably can, probably at the expression on my face, which I know must have a horribly confused expression on it. "I wasn't… supposed… to tell, but… _Kovu_… is your twin. Zira… and me… we are not… related… to you."

Kovu? The one who was supposed to be heir to the throne and kill King Simba… but betrayed us? _He _is my twin?

"Blood… is thicker… than… than…" Nuka's smile fades, and he begins panting desperately for air. I know he is experiencing his death throes, but I still hopelessly pressure him to complete his final thought.

"Than what, Nuka?" I whisper softly, fighting back the tears which are quickly and unexpectedly coming to my eyes. "Blood is thicker than what?"

He gasps, and suddenly his head rolls back into the mess of logs. His breathing slows, and then stops altogether, and I know that he is gone. There's nothing I could have done, and yet I feel guilty. Even though he was more loyal to Zira than anyone, I still think of him as innocent and undeserving of his death. Perhaps because he was like a brother to me… _Like_ a brother. Because now, apparently, we were never even related to begin with.

A single tear forces its way to the edge of my eye, and I watch helplessly as it drips down off my cheek and moistens his patchy, warm fur. And then I know what he was trying to say.

Water. Blood is thicker than water. And now I realize what he means. I have to fight for my family. My _real _family. Nuka had fought for his mother's attention all of his life, and so had I. But I could do this no longer. After all, where had it got him? He would have perished alone and abandoned if it wasn't for me. Even in her son's death, Zira had stopped for nobody.

I have two choices at this point. I could continue to vie for the recognition I deserved from a lioness I wasn't even related to, or I could fight for Nuka, and for my twin… Who is probably out there and desperately needs my help.

"Thank you, Nuka," I say respectfully, fishing his head out of the brambles and scraps of wood so that I can close his eyelids and stroke the top of his head with my paw. If it weren't for him, I would never have realized what I was supposed to do. What I was _meant _to do. I step away from his grave, carefully making my way down the dam and up the slope where Zira and the other lionesses had so ruthlessly abandoned him. I follow Zira for the last time. Because now, I fight for her no longer. I fight for Nuka's memory. And, more importantly, I fight for Kovu. My real family.

Even if I die… even if I have to sacrifice myself… at least I will die a warrior's death, struggling for what I really believed in.

_I am the sacrifice._

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_Well, folks, that's all for today. Come back next month and maybe I'll have something new for you. lol XD Just kidding... I think. o.o; Now it's time for me to get started on that homework I've been putting off for the past week. JOY! :p Next month is going to be hard, but when summer starts I'll get back to writing my stories. I promise. ;) _

_You know what would make me feel better though? A chocolate cake. I'll consider it a late birthday present. :D Oh wait... you can't give me one... so leave me a review instead as a substitute. XD It would brighten my day considerably. :p And if you leave me a review AND a chocolate cake... Then you're awesome. 'Nuff said. _

_Twin out. ;)_


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